Signoe



Aug. 9, 1932. Re. 18,558

AIR COOLING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES 2m L921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,l/ L! 6 LI 12 y I 3; 7 1 r 4 c G are 5 c z G f v I A. G. M, MICHELL Aug. 9, 1932 Re. 18,558

AiR COOLING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Se t. 0, H23

w I p a 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Reiesued Aug. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANTHONY GEORGE MALDON MICHELL, OF MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, AS- SIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'I'O MICHELL-GR ANKLESS ENGINES CORPORA- TION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK AIR COOLING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Original No. 1,670,666, dated May 22, 1928, Serial No. 220,762, filed September 20, 1927, and in Great Britain July 27, 1926. Application for reissue filed April 28, .1931. Serial No. 533,530.

j axes of the working cylinders are parallel to the axis of the shaft. For brevity, such engines are hereinafter referred to as crankless en ms. The invention is especially directte towards cooling the engine by means of the air currents produced around it as the result of its own passage through the air when mounted in a flying-machine or other vehicle, but the invention is also in part ap-' plicable to stationary engines.

It is in manycases desirable to arrange the working cylinders of crankless engines at the rear as well as the front of the main case of the engine, or sometimes at the rear only. It is to the cooling of such rear cylinders that the present invention, which'consists in unproved cooling apparatus, is particularly d1- rected.

According to the present invention, the air meeting the front (or windward end) of the 1 1y is intercepted by an annular series of baffles or a deflector of such shape and arrangement that parallel air streams are formed, such parallel streams being subsequently 1ntercepted'by an annular series of battles at the leeward end of the engine and of such shape and arrangement that the parallel air streams are diverted inwardly upon and over the rear cylinders. The baflies may be arranged in steppedannular formation; The deflector may be of annular or cylindrical shape, its rear being apertured centrally. A fan may be provided at or near the exit from said deflector.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention is shown in Figs. 1 to 3, 5, 7 and 8, as applied to engines of flying machines; Figs. 1 to 3 and 5 being diagrammatic, while Figs. 7 and 8 are longitudinal and end views respectively of a practical form of construction of an engine and the cooling device as shown diagrammatically, in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the application of the inventionto a stationary engine. Fig. 6

engine and being thereby deflected outwards for flying machines without the cooling deof a propeller mounted at the front of the engine.

moving in the direction shown by the arrows (1 and a: so that "the air has thus the same motion relativeto theengine as if the latter were travelling forward in still air.

In an engine unprovided with the cooling apparatus which forms the subject of the present invention. air streams meeting the front or windward end of the body B tend to be deflected laterally away from the en gine, as indicated in Fig. 6, and to diverge more and more as they progress towards the rear, as shown at a a in that figure. The air surrounding thecylinders C is in consequence either stagnant, or, at the most, disturbed only by secondary eddies e e as indicated in Fig. 6, and has consequently little cooling efi'ect.

According to the present invention, and as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7, air is in r cepted by an angular series of baflies L arranged around the front circumferende of the bodvB. Alternatively, a cylindrical deflector K may be provided for the same purpose as shown in Fig. 5.

The baflles L and L are of stream-line forms and are designed to deflect the air with as little less of energy as possible into paths 7) 6 approximately parallel to the axis of the engine. At the rear or leeward end of the engine, a second annular series of baflles L is arranged, these being located so as to deflect the airstreams b b inwardly over and between the cylinders and deis a diagrammatic view ofacrankless engine' signed, like the baflles L to deflect the possible the various streams diverging from both the body B and the cylinders C In other respects the construction and eflects in the arrangement of Fig. 2 are similar to those of Fig. 1. In both the single and double-ended constructions, annular deflectors F may be added, continued by cylindrical extensions outside the leeward louvres, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 7, to intercept additional air and/or to concentrate the flow of air about the cylinder heads.

The'construction shown in Fig. 3 is precisely the same as that of Fig. 1, except that a fan G' is mounted at the rear end of the engine, upon, or co-axially with, and driven.

by the engine shaft so as to receive the airstream issuing from between the. cylinders, and by its propelling or tractive action upon the air, increase theflow and cooling efiect of the current. In order to prevent air from being drawn directly into the inlet of thefan G without passing over and cooling the cylinders C an annular deflector H may be fitted, this deflector being also continued outside the leeward louvres, as shown.

A practical mode of construction of the baflles above described and their attachment to the engine, is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8.

According to these figures the baflles L and L are continuous rings, of stream like section, preferably of light alloy, smoothly machlnd, arranged concentrically and attached to one another and to the engine byoblique radial bracket-arms M M The deflector F, is preferably spun from sheet metal and being concentric with the baflles L may also be attached with them to the engine by the arms M In the double-ended engine represented in Fig. 4, and operating as a stationary engine,

the fan G alone produces the propelling effect upon the cooling-air. In order to prevent the fan from drawing air directly into its inlet without" such air passing between the baffles L and L; and over the cylinders,-

the baflles are surrounded by a cylindrical deflector J. The construction and effect of y the cooling means in this case are similar to those shown in Fig. 2 except for the addition of the fan G, and the increased length of the cylindrical portion of the deflector J in Fig. 4 as compared with the-deflector F in Fig. 2. It is to be understood that these modifications are-also ap licable to adou ble-ended engine when tted with a propeller, as shown in Fig. 2, and used as the engine of a flying machine. v

The sets of baflles L and L are preferably so arranged that each set comprises baflles in stepped or echelon formation, the baflles of each set being somewhat in advance one of another.

I claim:

1. The combination with an internal combustion engine, of a series of annular bafiles at the frontof the engine for forming air streams parallel to the axes of the engine cylinders, and a series of annular baflies at the leeward end of the engine to intercept said parallel air streams and divert them inwardly upon and over the rear cylinders.

2. The combination with an internal combustion engine, in which the working cylinders are cooled by a current of air'flowing parallel to the axis of the engine, of a series 7 of annular baflles arranged in stepped formation for deflecting said current of air inwardly upon and between the engine cylinders situated at the leeward end of the engine.

3. The combination with'an air-cooled internal combustion crankless' engine, of a series of annular baffles arranged around the windward end of the engine, a series of annular bafiles arranged around the leeward end of the engine,- and a centrally apertured annular baflle surrounding the leeward baflles.

4. In combination, an internal combustion engine comprising a shaft and power means for operating said shaft including cylinders, and pistons operatively connecte to the shaft, and air-cooling means for the engine including an annular baflie surroundingv the cylinders, said baflle being ofstream-line construction, co-axial with the shaft axis and inclined at an angle thereto for deflecting the air on the engine cylinders.

5. In combination, an internal combustion engine comprising a shaft and power means for operating'said shaft including cylinders,

and pistons operatively connected to the shaft, and air-cooling means for the engine including annular baflles, of stream-line construction, co-axial vith the shaft axis, said bafiies being arranged at an angle with respect to the axis to intercept air streams and to direct said streams in paths parallel to the engine-shaft.

6. In combination, an internal combustion engine comprisinga shaft and power-means for operating said shaftincluding. cylinders,

and pistons. operatively connected to the shaft, and air-cooling'means'for the engine including a series of annular bafiies, of stream-line construction, co-axial with the shaft axis and inclined thereto for deflecting the air on the engine cylinders.

7. In combination, an internal combustion engine comprising a shaft'and power means for operating said shaft including c linders, and pistons operatively connecte shaft, and air-cooling means for the engine includin' a series of annular baflies arranged in step ormation, co-axial with the shaft axis for deflecting the air on the engine'cyliners. v

8. In combination, an internal combustion engine comprising a shaft and power means for operating said shaft including cylinders, and pistons operatively connected to the shaft, and air-cooling means for the engine including an annular baflie, of stream-line construction, encircling the cylinders for defleeting the air on the engine cylinders.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of April, 1931.-

ANTHONY GEORGE MALDON MICHEL].

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